RSS
Congrats Hollywood: You Put A Useful Software Company Out Of Business
from the for-what-purpose? dept
Hollywood must be thrilled. We've been following the case of 321 Software for nearly two years, and that story is now over. 321 made software that was designed to make backing up your DVDs easier. Fair use laws are clear that people are allowed to make personal backup copies of digital media for themselves, mainly if a product breaks or has problems. 321 was careful to make sure the product was really only useful for that purpose, and that it wasn't a very good tool for anyone who wanted to make many copies of a DVD. The company even put out a bounty if anyone could find someone who was pirating DVDs with their software. Still, the movie industry attacked, and claimed that the software would harm "consumer choice and film making" without giving any evidence how that might happen. Eventually, Hollywood's lawyers prevailed, and 321 was told to stop selling their software. The company kept trying to fight the ruling, but without being able to sell software it's tough to do much, and today the company officially shut down. While Jack Valenti was telling us that if this software was allowed to exist we'd have less consumer choice, it appears that that's the case now, since we can no longer buy this software and back up our DVDs.
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
Great News for High-Budget Movies
[ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]
No Subject Given
I mean since they keep insisting there is NO legitimate reason to back up DVDs they should be more than HAPPY to replace DVDs that get damaged...I mean it must be such a RARE occurence that the cost should be minimal right?
[ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]
GRRRR
_______________
Help Desk Software Consultant
[ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: GRRRR
[ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: GRRRR
[ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]
321 sucked... good riddence!
DVD Decrypter + InterVideo DVD Copy
These work beautifully in conjunction and, with a large hard drive plus fast burner, multiple copies are QED. Rent a movie, decrypt, burn and return all within a 2 hour period... and buy an icecream sunday with the money you save on late fees!
[ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]
No Subject Given
Too often, the giant wins.
[ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]
Open source it
[ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]
DVD Shrink
Here's the directions with links to everything you need
[ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: DVD Shrink
[ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]
the stats so far
1 guy thinks the big money is always right
1 disembodied bible quoter
1 dvd-scratcher never lost a disk
1 mandatory gpl suggestion
1 angry man
&
5 people with concrete suggestions for alternatives.
I get 8 vs 2 PRO flaunting whatever laws there may be. If that's not proof that laws are made to create lawbreakers then I don't know my Ayn Rand.
Netflix rocks for the three R's.. Rent/Rip & Return. The faster you go, the faster they go... and AFAIK that's no different than taping.
So lets not forget that there are 500+ legal audio streams out there which you can capture and record with tools like Streamcatcher etc.
These are disruptive ideas and they will do what they always do. bust techs, just like the busted the steam-engine and prohibition.
[ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]
Add Your Comment